Oak Grove Tourism Executive Director Traci Cunningham is willing to give any festival her office plans three chances to make an impact on the local community — before possibly going back to the drawing board for new ideas.
This Saturday’s Butterfly Festival at the War Memorial Walking Trail, however, is 16 years running — a testament to its award-winning uniqueness and success in south western Kentucky.
Cunningham said she and her staff are expecting one of the largest crowds in recent memory, and for a few reasons:
+ First, it’s rolling from 11 AM until 4 PM, capped with a spectacular release of 2,000 hibernating butterflies waking for their migratory move. The weather should be nearly perfect: sunny skies, a high of 74, with north winds blowing 10 to 20 miles per hour.
+ Second, it’s free, save for food trucks and cold beverages. Families will have a chance to enjoy several arts & crafts stations, a petting zoo, a zip line, face painting, a balloon artist, a bubble zone, the Butterfly House and Garden, a photo booth, and a few other surprises.
+ And third, it’s alcohol and pet free, for the safety of all involved.
In 2023, attendance was so massive that families and visitors started parking a couple of miles down 41A and walking to the Viceroy berm — which by 2:30 PM was crammed with people trying to get unparalleled, first-come-first-serve seating to experience the release.
In preparation for this year, Cunningham said a professional parking company has been hired — in order to avoid this chaos.
Sponsorship will always help make festivals like this free to the public, but Cunningham also noted this celebration — along with year 18 of “Spring Into Summer” and year three of the newly-created Kentucky Bands, Bourbon and Wine Festival — are actually written into Oak Grove Tourism’s annual budget, as a giveback to local citizens and regional visitors, who in turn patron the area.
Since 2015, the Butterfly Festival has nabbed 13 regional, national and international awards — ranging from “Best Educational Program,” to “Best Photo-Op,” to “Best Event Program” and “Best Print Ad.”
